Ashes to Ashes
by raptoregg64
Summary: The city of London has been split into pieces by the five warring gangs that inhabit it. Deuteronomy, second son of the Seraphim leader, is there to see them united into one tribe. But the Jellicles' rise to glory was not as smooth as many cats think...
1. Prologue

******A/N: Hello, people of the Cats fandom (and any other people who are reading this.) Yes, it's me, Raptor, back from my much-too-long hiatus. I'm going to try and keep Author's Notes pretty scarce in this fic, so I'm just going to say the main things in this first A/N. **

**1. This was prompted by BroadwayKhaos's History of the Jellicles contest, but won't actually be entered, because it both involves more than three OCs and most certainly won't be completed before July 23rd. (It will, most likely, be my longest fic. The summary itself spanned five pages. ((And**

**2. AtA will definitely involve some things that I know not all people are comfortable with. Slash, femslash, incest, etc. (Most of it only appears in Part 2, but still.)**

**4. If you'd like to know any "behind the scenes" stuff on the story- how I got the names, how I decided on the setting, et cetera- feel free to ask! The only reason I'll refuse to tell you is if it's answered later in the story, and I don't want to give spoilers. ;)**

**5. Enjoy! :)  
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><p><em>London, England<em>

_March, 1940_

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><p>The entire world was at war. At first, the cats of England thought that only the humans would be affected by it. Then, as valuable territory was bombed into ruins, they began to see the truth. The fighting hurt <em>everyone. <em>Rationing made the humans less wasteful, so scavenging for food became harder. Air raids killed cats and destroyed their dens. Warfare began among the gangs of London, each one desperate to make up for the territory it had lost. The fighting continued for months, before one of the gang leaders finally saw reason.

His name was Shemot, leader of the Seraphim.

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><p>"Father, are you sure this is the best idea?" a slim, brown Maine Coon tom asked hesitantly.<p>

"I am quite sure, Asparagus," Shemot replied gravely as he sat down on the steps of Westminster abbey. He had a piece of parchment in one hand, a pen in the other. "It is the only way."

Asparagus sighed, but gave a nod. He looked around at the assembled cats- it seemed as though all of the Seraphim had come together for this occasion.

"And what do you think of my plan, Deuteronomy?" Shemot asked his second son absentmindedly, putting his pen to paper and beginning to write.

"I believe it's a good idea," Deuteronomy replied after careful thought. "Teatro, at the least, will see it from your point of view."

"Which means that, if he agrees, we will at least have one less enemy to fight," the older tom said with a smile, signing the letter before starting on a copy of it. Once it- and two more replicas- had been finished, he handed them all over to be delivered. "Either way, we shall see their reactions soon enough…"

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><p>Picking her way through the rubble of the East End, the young queen followed the sounds of shouting. She had a letter clutched in her hands. She gulped slightly as she saw two cats sparring- one a scrawny calico tom, the other a wiry Havana Brown queen.<p>

"M-Mistress Boudicca?" she asked meekly, directing her gaze towards the Havana Brown. The fighting stopped immediately.

"What's it?" her leader replied quietly, ignoring the calico as he scampered for safety.

"Y-you have a message. From Shemot, of-"

"The Seraphim, I know." Boudicca stepped forward and took the letter from Iceni, glancing over it briefly. She then stopped, and read it again- more slowly this time. She let out an incredulous laugh.

"What's the old muppet got into 'is 'ead now?" The Irish queen shook her head slowly, before grabbing a pen and scribbling her response.

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><p>"It is okay, Bella," a slightly overweight Bengal tom comforted, sitting next to his daughter on the theater steps. It was a wonderful, sunny day, and they had just been practicing their singing. "Everybody's voice cracks at times. Even mine!" He gave a laugh.<p>

"Thank you, Padre," Grizabella replied with a slight smile. Her voice held no trace of the Spanish that accented her father's. "I'll just keep practicing." She looked out at the cat running towards them. "Padre, it seems that there's a letter for you."

He looked up, interested, as the messenger arrived and gave a bow.

"Señor Teatro, Shemot of the Seraphim has sent a letter."

Teatro took the piece of paper with interest, and slowly read through it.

"It seems to be excellent idea to me," he murmured to himself, before taking the pen the messenger handed him and recording his reply. He smiled brightly and returned the letter.

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><p>A petite, black-and-white queen ran through the streets of Marylebone. She held something in her hands as she slowed down and entered a secluded alley, squeezing past a large cardboard box. Past the box, it looked almost as though she had entered a different world- various containers, ranging from flowerpots to wooden crates to abandoned iceboxes were arrayed against the walls of the alleyway. All were draped and connected with tulle and fairy lights, and several had sprigs of wildflowers stuck into nooks and crannies. The Tantsory were well known for their concern with aesthetics.<p>

The queen continued walking down the row of dens, nodding to the cats she passed, before disappearing into a particularly large and glamorous one, formed out of a chest and several hat boxes.

"Miss Krasota?" she greeted softly as she entered. She noticed that only two of the three silk cushions were occupied, by white Persian queens- their brother must have been out hunting, or some such thing.

"Yes, Tonya?" the one in the middle asked, her light Russian accent adding a gentle lilt to her words.

"You have a letter, madame. From Shemot, of the Seraphim." Tonya handed over the parchment, and Krasota read it with a great deal of interest, raising an eyebrow. She gave a slightly scornful laugh.

"Shemot is becoming senile in his old age." She shook her head. "However, I will see what he has to say. Do you agree with this, Pevitsa?"

The queen to her left gave a slight nod, not looking up from the ground.

"I am glad," Krasota declared, somewhat uncertainly, before taking a pen and writing her response.

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><p>Lume gulped, blushing brightly as she walked through the halls of the half-collapsed apartment building. Admittedly, she was nervous. She had tried to pull the "I'm-too-young" excuse on the other messengers- she was only fourteen, for the Everlasting's sake!- but they had insisted, pretending that there was nothing to even remotely worried about. (Their relieved glances when she had submitted told her otherwise.)<p>

She paused, taking a deep breath to try and calm down, and looked through a hole in the wall at the Thames. _They'll be done by the time you get there, _she told herself, though she didn't believe it at all. _In any case, there's- there's no point in procrastinating. Even if there really is. No, shut up, Lume! This is an important letter! He'll thank you for delivering it!_

Her blush returned in full force as she remembered what their leader had done before to… thank… his messengers.

_He won't mention it because I'm fourteen. He won't. I mean, sure, he may be a little… weird… at times, but he isn't…_ She couldn't even bring herself to think the word.

Lume took another breath, and walked along for a few moments before knocking on the door to one of the apartments. It opened, and a very cheerful-looking, short, Bombay tom poked his head out. She tried to ignore the fact that his fur was rather messy, and a rather attractive, voluptuous red queen was standing just over his left shoulder.

"Hello, Lume, _mio caro!" _he greeted brightly, as if they had bumped into each other while on a stroll through Hyde Park, or some such thing.

"H-hello, Signore Tiro," she replied meekly.

"How are your lessons coming along, _mio caro?" _Tiro continued with a smile.

"V-very well, Signore. Elena has started teaching me about controlling fire."

"Excellent! That is excellent. Now, eh… why are you here, if I might ask, _mio caro?"_

Lume was very glad that he had gotten to the point, and thrust the letter into his hands.

"Y-you have a message, Signore. From Sh-Shemot. The Seraphim leader."

Tiro looked at the message with a great deal of interest, completely ignoring his now rather irritated-looking partner.

"Do you have a pen with you, Lume?" he asked mildly. She quickly shoved that into his hands as well, eager to be out of there.

"_Grazie, mio caro," _he murmured idly, quickly writing a few words on the paper. He then folded it neatly and handed it back to her with a smile. "Please deliver this to Shemot when you can."

"Y-yes, Signore." With that, Lume bolted away.

Tiro turned back to the red queen with a vaguely confused expression.

"I wonder why she seemed so eager to run away?" He shrugged, not bothering to wait for an answer before hooking his arms around her waist with a mischievous smirk. "Now, _bella, _where were we…?"


	2. Chapter 1

The old junkyard on the outskirts of London hadn't seen much activity for the last few years. Trash had been added and compacted as needed by the humans, but other than that it had remained undisturbed. This, Shemot thought, made it a perfect place for the meeting of the leaders.

Piles of debris were scattered haphazardly throughout, forming several clearings of various sizes. All sorts of trash had been deposited in the piles- cars, washing machines, blankets, sofas… A great deal of the metal had been taken away, however, and melted down for use in the war. This meant that the yard had an even eerier look than usual, and the time of day he had chosen for the meeting didn't help- it was late in the afternoon, and the junk piles cast long, crooked shadows onto the ground that looked like ghostly people.

Shemot quietly walked into the largest clearing, followed by Deuteronomy and a marmalade queen. Asparagus had been left behind to protect the Seraphim in Shemot's brief absence, so Deuteronomy had been allowed to bring along a cat of his own choosing. He had picked Jennyanydots, his kind, gentle suitor.

The trio of Seraphim sat down on a tire that had been recently added to the yard, the younger ones sitting below the old brown tabby as they waited for the other leaders.

The first to arrive was Boudicca, striding into the chosen clearing with two of her warriors trailing behind her. She perched on a rocking chair but didn't say a word, instead choosing to stare straight ahead. The fierce queen had always made Deuteronomy somewhat uneasy- she was an excellent fighter, as had been proved in a territorial clash the previous week. His cuts from that battle had only just finished healing.

Next came Krasota and her identical siblings- Pevitsa, her sister, and her brother, Bystro. They strode into the clearing with the grace that all of the Tantsory moved with. Krasota positioned herself inside a pipe, her siblings appearing to guard the entrance. They, too, remained silent, and Deuteronomy quickly tired of observing them.

Teatro was the third to appear, bouncing cheerfully into the junkyard as though he hadn't a care in the world. His companions were two queens; one a slim calico, and the other… the most beautiful queen Deuteronomy had ever had the fortune- or misfortune- to lay his eyes on. Her soft, flowing black fur faded out to grey tips, and her amber eyes twinkled merrily as she sat down with the other two on an oven. She looked over in the young tom's direction, and gave a small smile that utterly entranced him in just one moment.

He wrapped an arm firmly around Jenny's waist, looking back to his suitor as though she could ground him and prevent any ill-timed fantasies from forming. Her answering beam was completely oblivious to Deut's distraction, and she nuzzled him lovingly as the four leaders waited for Tiro to arrive.

Apparently, Tiro was not planning on arriving any time soon, as they had been waiting for over an hour when Teatro finally snapped,

"Does anybody know when that annoying _brujo _will show up?"

"How about now?" inquired the amused, Italian-accented voice as Tiro materialized, along with two other cats, on a rusting car. Deuteronomy jumped- he was naturally wary of the black tom's magic. As Teatro gave an irritated huff of "Finally!" the young Seraphim took the opportunity to look at Tiro's attendants. One was a small, shy, Bombay queen- presumably the magician's sister- and the third was an unremarkable Siamese tom.

"You were supposed to be here an hour ago," Shemot said dryly.

"Something came up," Tiro replied offhandedly, gesturing with a nonchalant air. "Anyway! Let's get this meeting started, shall we?"

Shemot nodded with a slight frown, beginning to speak. All cats present turned to look at him.

"I, Shemot, leader of the Seraphim, have called this meeting forth to propose an alliance between our five gangs. We have been engaged in constant warfare between ourselves for the past two months, and I wish for this to stop."

"What type of alliance do you propose, Shemot?" Krasota asked, sniffing disdainfully as she crossed her legs. "An agreement to keep our paws off of each other's food?"

"Granted, me gang don't 'ave a great deal of food to defend," Boudicca growled irritably. Her territory was the East End, which had been one of the areas hardest-hit by air raids.

"Peace, Boudicca, Krasota," Shemot calmed gently. He used the tone of voice that Deuteronomy had never been able to get quite right- a soothing, paternal tenor. "No, I do not propose that sort of alliance. In fact, what I propose is more of a… merging of our gangs, into one, more prosperous gang. Or, rather, _tribe."_

The other leaders stared at him in shock for several moments. Then the questions started.

"What about our territories?"

"What about our control?"

"What about our laws?"

"Boudicca, _mio caro_, I didn't know your gang _had _any laws."

"Shuddup, Tiro."

"Your wish is my command, O Terrifying One."

"Why, ya bloody little-!"

The Seraphim leader held up his hands for silence.

"Please, listen to me," he implored, cutting through the noise. "And kindly do not scoff." He took a breath before laying out the details of his plan. "Our territories would also be fused together, giving us greater access to food sources. Control of the tribe would be split between the five of us, and we would go through each gang's current laws and select the ones we agree upon to implement in the new tribe."

Deuteronomy looked around carefully at the other leaders. Boudicca seemed cautious, Krasota still mildly scornful, Teatro downright enthusiastic, and Tiro… Tiro wore a small, mysterious smile on his face that betrayed nothing of his true feelings.

"Think of how great we could be, if we combined our specialties," Shemot continued. "Boudicca, the ferociousness of the Laochra warriors has been whispered about throughout London. Krasota, the Tantsory are known for their renowned dancers. Teatro, the Cantantes' singers are some of the most famed in all of Europe. Tiro, the names of the Stregoni magicians have been told to every single cat in London."

"And the Seraphim?" Tiro prodded, still giving that mysterious smile as he laced his fingers together and leaned back. "What would they add? Their zealotry in their worship of the Everlasting Cat? Their discipline? Their surprisingly large territory?"

Shemot narrowed his eyes slightly, but nodded.

"Exactly," he said, not specifying. "With all of our talents pooled into one…" He trailed off, before gazing deep into the eyes of each leader. He could see that they were warming up to the idea. "As an added bonus," he continued, "there would be no more fighting between us. Cats could live out their lives in relative peace, without having to worry about accidentally straying onto enemy territory. What say you?"

There was silence for a few minutes as the leaders discussed the idea with their companions.

"I say yes," Teatro decided firmly, smacking his hand on the oven for emphasis.

"As do I," Krasota added with a slight nod.

"The Laochra will be a part of this tribe," Boudicca declared quietly.

"Well, I would not want to feel left out," Tiro said cheerfully. "The Stregoni, too, will become a piece of the tribe."

Shemot smiled happily.

"Excellent! I say we break the meeting for today, and decide what the next step is tomorrow."

Murmurs and nods of consent came from the assembled cats as they began to get up and wander over to others, chatting.

"That was terribly interesting, Deut," Jenny said excitedly as they stepped away from the tire, holding onto his arm. Deuteronomy gave a distracted bob of his head and a smile- he could feel the beautiful Cantante queen's eyes boring into his back, and tried to ignore it. Instead, he focused on what the other cats were doing- Boudicca was talking quietly with Shemot, Bystro was attempting to have a conversation with the quiet Bombay queen, and Tiro appeared to be making certain suggestions to Krasota while her brother was distracted.

Deuteronomy tore his eyes away from the flirting couple as Teatro bounded up to them, followed by his companions.

The proximity of the beautiful queen didn't help Deuteronomy's nerves at all.

"_¡Hola!" _the Cantante leader- well, councilor, now- greeted brightly. "You must be Shemot's son!"

"Yes, I'm Deuteronomy. This is my suitor, Jennyanydots," he introduced, trying not to stare.

"I am Teatro, as you know. This is my mate, Calíope, and my daughter, Grizabella."

_Grizabella. _So that was the striking queen's name.

Before he knew it, Grizabella had held out her hand and was smiling prettily at him. Deuteronomy felt his stomach do a flip as he took her hand and shook it. His skin tingled at the contact.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Deuteronomy," Grizabella stated, still smiling. Her voice was just as beautiful as her appearance- a rich, expressive contralto.

He said something along the lines of "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Grizabella," but afterwards found that he couldn't remember the exact phrasing. She held onto his hand for a moment longer than it seemed to be necessary before letting go. Deuteronomy came back to earth with a jolt- Teatro was speaking to him.

"I think your father's idea is an excellent one, do you?"

"Er- yes; I believe that we will all benefit from it."

"How good is your singing, Señor Deuteronomy?"

"I- I've never tried it before, sir."

Teatro gave a joyous laugh.

"I shall have to teach you, then! Once all of this groundwork has been laid out, we shall start private lessons, no?"

Deuteronomy nodded dumbly, blinking slightly as he tried to concentrate.

"It sounds great, Señor Teatro."

"Marvelous!" the Cantante tom exclaimed with a wide smile. Deut looked over at Jenny for help, but she seemed to be talking to Calíope about the best ways to decorate a den.

He quickly excused himself from the conversation and went to sit by himself in the shadows. However, his solitude didn't last for long- Boudicca quickly came over and bombarded him with questions about how well he could fight (decently,) followed by Krasota asking how well he could dance (not at all.) In fact, the only one who didn't ask him anything was Tiro. Deuteronomy thought that it was very sensible, as the Stregoni were the only known magicians in all of London, and it would do no good to ask about a Seraphim's magical prowess.

Eventually, the Italian tom _did _walk over and sit down, his black fur blending into the darkness so that only his bright white teeth and amber eyes were visible as he talked.

"This little gathering has been very entertaining, hasn't it, _il mio ragazzo?" _Tiro asked quietly. Deuteronomy understood enough Italian to know that "_il mio ragazzo" _meant "my boy." He bristled slightly.

"Yes, it has. Especially for you, it seems," he observed, taking in his companion's now-ruffled fur through narrowed eyes. "And please don't call me that. You aren't much older than me." It was true, or so he thought- Tiro couldn't possibly be over three years old.

The Bombay laughed, grinning as though it was some hilarious joke.

"If you insist, _il mio ragazzo. _And yes, I have been having a rather enjoyable time," he purred smugly, looking over at Krasota. Deuteronomy resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

"So, you're a magician?" the Maine Coon asked, trying to remain civil and make polite conversation.

"Of course. And you are a… eh… what's the English word…" Tiro snapped his fingers while he thought. "… temple? Something that sounds similar to temple?"

"I believe you mean 'templar,'" Deuteronomy replied smugly, glad that he was finally able to get the other tom off-balance. Even if English wasn't Tiro's first language. "And no, I am not. The Knights Templar were Christians. I'm a firm worshipper of the Everlasting Cat."

"… despite the fact that you live in a Christian church?"

"Abbey. It's an _abbey. _And the Seraphim don't live in it, just around it."

Tiro shrugged, though the movement was hardly noticeable in the shadows.

"Church, abbey. In, around. It is all the same in the end."

"And what religion are you, Tiro?" Deuteronomy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh…" The Bombay shrugged again. "I don't concern myself with religion much. Everlasting, I suppose, though I don't agree with everything the followers teach."

"Right…" he replied slowly, biting back a comment. "… The queen that came with you; she's your sister, correct?"

"Yes," Tiro replied, his eyes flashing dangerously as he suddenly tensed. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, of course not," Deut replied quickly, though he wasn't sure what the Italian tom was so upset about. He was probably just being an overprotective brother- not that he had anything to worry about. Tiro's sister was nothing compared to Grizabe-

Jenny. She was nothing compared to _Jenny._

"I think I'm going to go take a walk," he muttered before Tiro could continue the conversation, and quickly strolled away. He sighed slightly once he was alone.

_Why, Everlasting, do you have to tempt me so?_


End file.
